Ex-agitators in the Niger Delta have hailed President Bola Tinubu over his decision to return the supervision of the Niger Delta Development Commission back to the Presidency.
National Secretary of the First Phase ex-agitators, Mr. Nature Dumale, made the commendation in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Sunday.
Dumale said it was heart-warming to hear that the NDDC would henceforth report directly to the president like the North East Development Commission.
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He further said the development has been a long wish, saying he had in the past, led a campaign for the commission to be directly supervised by the president, saying it will engender transparency and speed up development in the crude oil and gas rich, but impoverished region.
Dumale, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme Strategic Communication Committee, said by the singular act, Tinubu has demonstrated his genuine intention to turn around the fortunes of the NDDC.
Dumale stated, “We want to use this opportunity to appreciate Mr. President, for the wisdom in returning the NDDC to the Presidency.
“We believe that this will speed up the development of the region, and stem the culture of turning the Commission into a cash cow.
“For us, it is a sign that the President has good intentions for the Niger Delta region for summoning the political will to move the interventionist agency back to the Presidency.
“This means that he wants proper supervision of the NDDC. As ex-agitators, we can boldly say that the Niger Delta has been suffering because of mismanagement.”
He further said, “This move will engender accountability, transparency and the much touted development of the Niger Delta, would become a reality.
“This is one step Mr. President has taken to give us hope as leaders in the region. We believe that the NDDC under the supervision of the Presidency would facilitate meaningful development.
“The only time we experienced some development was when NDDC was under the direct supervision of the Presidency.
“As soon as it was moved to the Ministry of Niger Delta, it became a cash cow, for the Niger Delta Cartel, whose only agenda, is to keep the Niger Delta underdeveloped.”
Dumale said they discovered that apart from the NDDC and the PAP, there was a Niger Delta Recovery Plan, which mandated the ministries of petroleum, environment and Niger Delta affairs to work in synergy in articulating the development of the region.
He continued, “We live in an environment where a lot is taken away on a daily basis by the Federal Government, yet there is little to show for it. The condition of Ogoni-Onne-Eleme Road, which is part of the East-West road, comes to mind. The road has remained a death trap making it impossible for free movement of goods.
“We are standing behind President Tinubu and we await, with great enthusiasm and renewed vigour, the speedy development of our homeland.”
Dumale warned that the ex-agitators were empowered with education and strategies to hold their leaders accountable and would no longer tolerate mismanagement of their commonwealth.
He added,” We have been empowered and we won’t engage anybody with arms. We have been trained to communicate positively and to make our case known even to the United Nations.”
Dumale called on President Tinubu to compel the NDDC to make public, the forensic audit report on the interventionist agency, saying persons responsible for diverting the resources of the commission must be held accountable.
(Punch)
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